Another new "M"ember - M45

[Double E]

Hey all you Infiniti brethren! I’ve been lurking around this site for a few months and finally decided I had enough info to register and contribute. Thanks for being here, providing a great site, your experiences and responses.

I’m a long time Nissan owner (since I was 16) and made the “I” move once the career was moving. My ’97 I30t has 162k miles and I do all regular maintenance on it.

I‘ve certainly gotten my money’s worth and have the green light to look for another ride from the wife.

Thanks again for the site….I read the stickies too.

Now to the fun stuff…

I’m looking for an 03-04 and have found several examples close by. Several white/pearl ones in both 03 & 04 models. One in particular has my curiosity up, but it has issues.

It was just delivered to the dealership (non Infiniti) from an auction. It is an ’04 with 13,000 miles. It has not been cleaned up yet and has:

NAV but no backup cameraAn ugly tan/burgundy pinstripe on dark gray (diamond graphite?)exterior w/ black leatherThe owners manual and the NAV CD are not in the carThe first aid kit is goneThe wood gear selector knob is goneThe menu indicated that the avg MPH was 19 and the avg MPG was 13The engine air filter was filthyThere is some damage from what looks like scraping a curb to the front air dam

I’m suspecting that it could be an “oil consumption” car due to the low mileage so far… I’ll take the vin by the local “I” dealer and ask for records. I’ll get a carfax for it soon too.

Questions:How does the NAV disc physically get loaded into the system? It uses the same load slot as the stereo? Is it actually a DVD format disc?Why would the disc be missing? Does this disc have a use in other non-Infiniti vehicles?If the dealership selling it, gets a replacement disc, is there an updated version I should make sure is provided?(What idiot would remove the gear selector knob….?) From the look of the "nub" that remains, it looks like it just screws on, is that right?The avg speed & poor mpg data are probably from lots of idling and being shuffled around a car lot….right?This car has NAV ….would it not automatically come with the backup camera if NAV was installed at the factory?Will this example automatically have the free subscription to satellite radio?The pinstripe is painted on, is it going to take a pro to remove it?

Because it has not been cleaned up yet, are there other things I should look for to assess the previous treatment it has had other then checking carfax & service records? Maybe other menu items that tell about usage?

Thanks in advance again and for taking a newbie’s questions…

[nmgoodthing]

All those things you explained would send a red flag in my mind.

It sounds like someone didn't take care of the car and probably sold the shift knob and the nav disc on Ebay.

The low mileage is tempting, but someone probably hammered this vehicle w/ out proper break in and it might have been garaged due to not working.

You can us the disc in other vehicles, Early Q45, Qx56, Qx4. The disc loads in the trunk, on the drive side top of the trunk there is a flange held by Velcro, pull that down to reveal the unit.

[Double E]

Sweet. Thanks for the note. I'll look over the carfax & the I dealer report.

At worst, I'll be able to use it for negotiation against other examples.

Follow up question...NAV was available on the '03 model, right? All the ones I see (6 of em) don't have it and 1 doesn't even have a sunroof.

Carfax on the others range from normal use to a reposession and accident involvements. They all seem to be in decent condition save for the accident victim, it has poorly fitting front sheetmetal and is not a candidate.

Any info on the satellite radio question frm above?

[nmgoodthing]

03 had nav option, but are very rare. I got lucky and got one that had the tech package. Nav, Intelligent Cruise control, etc.

That gas mileage sounds like mine after I do 130 on the highway. That's 19mpg on highway, and the 13 sounds like drag racing stop light to stop light. (WARNING)

Guaranteed the one with the missing Nav and Gear shift was a repo. Id probably steer clear of that one.

The Sat radio was an option. 03's were not prewired. Would cost about $700+ to get it installed. The unit is around $350 itself. 04's came prewired, you will save a little in installation cost.

So yourself a favor, be patient and you probably dont' want any of those M's you described. Check Carmax, Autotrader and Ebay. I tmight be work it to travel or have shipped to get a well taken care of M.

[Double E]

I would not be surprised if the 04 I saw comes up repo'd too. Local Carmax has an '03 and I drove it. I wasn't blown away by the engine performance, but it did everything else well.

True that for being patient... thanks again. I'm in no hurry and likewise, I don't mind a trip to get it. Got boats from Texas & MN for that very reason.

Is that right about the NAV & backup camera? ...they may not be pacakged together from the factory?

[nmgoodthing]

I wasn't aware of the back up camera being an option for the 03. It might have been for the 04. Some others here might know better.

[Mark Linkous]

Hello,The reverse camera was never available for the 03-04 M. Some 03's actually do come prewired for sat radio. Think it was last ones imported for the model year. Depending on when/if previous owner/ dealer reset the trip computer/ mileage meter, it could be the new dealer zeroed everything out and have been raising hell in it. Quite possible. If possible, get the vin and call Infiniti. That will tell you far more. Mileage that low is tempting. FWIW, I average 16 M.P.G driving 70/30 city.Best Wishes on Your Search,Mark

[xxNite]

good luck on your search. If you like Diamond Graphite Gray with a dark interior, a Lexus Dealership in Raleigh/Durham North Carolina has an '04 that i nearly bought. Only 13K miles, but was a company car in New Jersey. I ended-up buying a New Jersey compsny car that had 42Kmiles but priced just right for me.

The car is on AutoTrader and a salesman named Stanley James is the one to talk to for a great deal on the car, but hurry, an '04 with 13K miles will not last long.

Good Luck

[Double E]

Thanks for that note xxN.

I sent you an e-mail asking some additional questions about your find.

[Double E]

So I let that 14K mile example get away. It turns out it was sold when I went to drive it for the weekend.

Up to now, I had been thinking that a 2004 with NAV was the one I wanted. I’m starting to think that I might not want NAV.

My thinking is this…I want NAV but not a 4-year-old unit that is integrated to the car but takes a hack to play DVD’s and use while driving. I don’t REALLY care to play DVD’s while driving anyway and the wife could also care less. (No kids.)

I also have a boat, and don’t have a GPS/NAV yet but a purchase in the next year or so is coming. I’m thinking that an M car without NAV will save some money on the initial purchase. I can also get a newer portable GPS/NAV system with the ability to take it off-shore, hiking and from vehicle to vehicle….

I’m also wondering about the Sport package. I understand it was available in 2004 and includes the rear wing, which I like. Though it can be added anytime, I also wonder about the active suspension that comes on the Sport package.

Is this active suspension the same as the Super HICAS that was used on the previous generation of Z car and high end 240 cars? I understood that after a few years (5+) the super HICAS turned to junk and it normally cost more to remove or repair than the car was worth ...yet if you didn’t remove it, it would clunk in turns and upset routine handling. I forget the sources I got that from but there are some in this site in the 240 section.

Anyway…is the Sport package only going to come with active suspension and if so, how big a difference are we talking about in handling?

If it’s a big difference, is it set up like HICAS?

I sort of like the VACS option too. If I find an example with VACS, will it also come with NAV…or not necessarily?

This may mean that I get a base model with sunroof in silver and add in suspension upgrades as I see fit plus the exhaust upgrade. If it has VACS, that’s a bonus.

Have I failed to consider anything? (Thanks again in advance.)

[xxNite]

if you are talking about '03-'04 M45's, there really isn't a "sport package", just Premium package (A & B) and the Tech package as seen in the pricing section of Infinitihelp.com in that section for '04 M45s. The rear wing was just optional and not a part of any particular package at time of order.

http://www.infinitihelp.com/In...e.htm

[Double E]

Thanks again xxN. Funny that the links on that page have the years 2003 & 2004 switched but I saw your reference.

That was the page I've been needing.

[DrFast1]

Double E,

Not sure how close you are to CHicago, but that city is the king of having 2003-2004 M45's.

To give you an idea of price, I bought mine in Detroit (2003 M45 w/ 33k miles) for less than $19k.

I don't have the loaded version with nav, but it has some options. The Garmin GPS I bought my wife works better than the Nav I saw in a 2004 M.

Good luck in your search.

BTW most Chicago dealers will pick you up at the airport and bring you to the dealership for a test drive. Then you can simply drive yourself home! Maybe make a weekend out of it!

Nathan

[Double E]

I just pulled the trigger on the package I've been looking for.

Ought to be here in a week or so...

Update:Got it, love it. Needs a good cleaning though. Probably needs a new front bumper cover too. I took a known risk buying sight unseen, but overall I'm pleased.
Modified by Double E at 8:41 AM 3/18/2008

[Double E]

So far I've accomplished my goal of maintaining a computer readout of average 22MPG. I tried to convince my self that I could get within a couple of miles of my I30 that I just sold to get the M.

I've also not been babying it but I do coast a lot more than in the I30, don't floor it from each stop and keep an eye on the Instant readout.

Couple of things I've noticed though... maybe you can help.

Why does the Instant economy display symbol "tobacco leaf" change to a linear graph readout when the measurement seting is changed from standard to metric?

Are there no green leaves in Canada anymore?

The average mileage "reset interval" display shows a graph, but I'm not certain how to read it as there's only information along one side of the graph... can someone explain it to me?

[szh]

Welcome to M45 ownership land!

Why does the Instant economy display symbol "tobacco leaf" change to a linear graph readout when the measurement seting is changed from standard to metric?

Are there no green leaves in Canada anymore?

Maybe the Canadians wanted it to be a Maple Leaf and Infiniti could not oblige in time for the car to be shipped.

Seriously, I have no idea.

The average mileage "reset interval" display shows a graph, but I'm not certain how to read it as there's only information along one side of the graph... can someone explain it to me?

Each bar only shows the value each time you pressed the reset button ... press it many times in a hurry and all bars get "erased".

Z